1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile transmission method, and more particularly, to a transmission method having a feature in the manner of transmitting image information corresponding to a multi-color original, and an apparatus thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A facsimile apparatus of a type sequentially transmitting image information in parallel with the readout scanning of the original image, more specifically, a facsimile apparatus that initiates scanning operation of reading an original image after accessing a receiving station from a sending station via a communication line (generally a telephone line) and establishing a transmission enable state (i.e. after a calling operation), is known. Some of these facsimile apparatus are known to allow transmission/reception of a multi-color image (a two-colored image of black and red, for example) in addition to the transmission/reception of a normal single color image.
One of these facsimile apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-63374. In this facsimile apparatus, the function or the state of the destination apparatus (the apparatus of the receiving station) is verified by a predetermined communication protocol before initiating the scanning operation of reading in transmitting an original, followed by the selection of the color of the image read from the original image according to the receiving station.
The mode of the read scanning operation is switched depending whether the apparatus of the receiving station is capable of reducing a multi-color image as the apparatus of the sending station, whereby image information corresponding to a colored image that can be reproduced by the apparatus of the receiving station is transmitted thereto.
In a conventional facsimile apparatus where only a single color image reproduction is allowed, a transmission method is employed of reading and storing an original image as coded data (compressed data) in a memory means prior to the calling operation, and reading out and sending to the receiving station the coded data from the memory means at the time of calling (referred to as "memory transmission method").
The memory transmission method has an advantage of reducing the transmission time (the connecting time of a communication line) in comparison with the method where a read out image information is converted into coded data while being transmitted. There are also advantages of allowing reservation transmission where the transmission time can be specified and sequential broadcasting (multi-calling) transmission where the same original can be sequentially transmitted to a plurality of destinations.